Cody Will - Fangin' with the big dogs

Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snakes indigenous to northern California, and as snake catcher and rattlesnake aversion trainer Cody Will puts it, it's only a matter of time before one's dog encounters the venomous reptile.

"They're in their happy dog world and if they see something on the ground moving, they're going to check it out," Will said. "That's why so many dogs get bit."

The 22-year-old Will has carved a niche out for himself in Tehama and Shasta counties.

He's one of the few who offers rattlesnake aversion dog training throughout the north state and is known in veterinary offices across the region as well.

Will owns the rattlesnakes he uses during training.

One difference between him and some other trainers is that he conducts the training with a snake out of its cage, meaning he must muzzle the snakes as well.

The preparation is the most dangerous part, he said.

"That's the only thing about this training that's tough and why I charge what I charge," Will said.

The cost is about $100.

The process to train a dog to recognize a rattlesnake and stay away, Will said, is conducted in four phases during one session with the help of a shock collar.

1. Introducing the dog to a muzzled juvenile rattlesnake

"I put (the snake) out in open ... and I let the dog spot it," Will said.

"The thing about this training is, I almost don't like calling it training. It's more or less just setting up a realistic scenario and the dog is going to do all the learning on its own.

We're just taking the place of a snake bite with a zap from a shock collar."

Will said the training is for all breeds of dogs, but all breeds of dogs react differently to the shocks and snakes.

"Some dogs, a shock or two is all it takes," Will said. "Others are more stubborn and they go back to it and get it again and then I'll turn it up and up each time to how they respond. Eventually they stop checking (the snake) out and figure out that it hurts."

The reluctance from dog owners to allow a shock collar to be used on their pets isn't lost on Will.

He says he gets it, and if there were a way to do the training effectively with the use of positive reinforcement, he would.

But he also says the alternative, a venomous snake bite that could kill a dog, is less desirable than the measured zaps a dog receives.

2. Isolated scent recognition

"A lot of dogs, like ... the shepherds, I can totally see why they use those for police dogs and drug dogs," Will said. "I had one shepherd that picked up the smell really well from the actual snake in the first step and by the time I hid the shed skins, he got within 5 or 6 feet, he stopped panting and his ears perked up and he was looking for one."

3. Exposure to rattlesnake sounds Will said because the snakes he uses have become used to being handled during the training, some don't rattle every time. Will has trained about 60 dogs, including a veterinarian's dog, since he started his business in March.

While he says dogs are likely to be exposed to a real rattler sound once or twice during the process, he has a backup plan: a portable stereo system hooked up to an iPod that can play the sounds of the rattlesnake.

Will says he hides the stereo in bushes and lets the dog explore. Once a dog gets close, Will hits play.

"What I do is have the owners and anybody else that's around stand around the spot," Will said. "And then I hit the play button and play the rattle sound. And as soon as it plays I have everybody jump back."

Some dogs will get the hint, and won't need to be shocked during this step, Will said.

4. Introducing the dog to an adult rattlesnake

"The end is more or less a test," Will said, adding, "With the big snake, 90 percent of the dogs learn from the first three steps where they won't go anywhere near the big snake."

Will admits there's something about his personality that attracts him to things other people may find outrageous, such as handling live rattlesnakes.

"I don't like to go with the flow, I guess," said Will, who lives in Cottonwood and plans to attend UC Davis to study entomology.

"I don't really like what everybody likes.

I like to find something people don't like and have fun with that."

Will's business is called Will's Skills Professional Services and he can be reached at 530 200-1880.

--------- Sports Editor Andre Byik can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 111 or at sports@redbluffdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TehamaSports